


Connect the Dots

by Mizu7



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, First Dates, Fluff, Healthy Relationships, Insomnia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Supportive Girlfriend, Waiting for you to come home, but you knew that already, eventual tragedy, military life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2018-11-22 00:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11368995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mizu7/pseuds/Mizu7
Summary: A story about freckles





	1. Dots

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is! The start to a new multichapter adventure this time featuring Emily. I know this may seem kinda late but I purposely wanted to wait until the fires, riots and panic died down a little bit after this cute red head appeared into our lives and solidified our beloved mascot's sexuality. 
> 
> This is a full on my take on the origin story to how Emily and Lena met through present time. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> (As a side note to the die hard WidowTracer fans do not panic, I will still be posting WidowTracer stuff on my One Shot collections)
> 
> DON'T FORGET. MULTI SHIPPING IS A THING KIDS. 
> 
> Enjoy! We are in for a wild ride!

“Well well...right on time as usual.”

 

Lena’s head snapped up, eyes immediately on the door as the bells chimed, indicating a new customer. Sure enough, there she was, just as she appeared every day. 

 

Her face exploded into a fierce blush that matched the woman’s hair, and her eyes dropped straight back down into her mug.

 

Nielsen welcomed the redhead by name and quickly whipped up her usual coffee order, striking up a short conversation about weather and the like. Which was gloomy. Like always in London. A nice gloomy in comparison to the previous week, but still gloomy. 

 

Lena gulped nervously, trying her best to stay casual with her eyes on the newspaper, elbow digging into the table, and chin jabbed into her palm to cover her face as the woman thanked the barista profusely and turned away. Lena waited a few moments before bringing her own mug to her lips, though she wasn’t taking a drink; she let the liquid rest along her lips as her eyes shot back to the woman. She walked to her usual seat in the far corner beside the storefront window and sat down. 

 

Her cheeks continued to burn, despite the coffee she had ordered an hour ago having now gone cold. But she left a bit just for this moment, watching the beautiful painting happen before her eyes. She took a long sip of her drink and visibly melted into her seat, smiling to herself, happy to be there and take a proper break. 

 

_ God, I’m gay… _

 

It was nearly a month ago that someone new had come into the tiny cafe- not that this was particularly interesting, as this place was in the middle of a heavily business oriented area. Tall buildings surrounded it like castle walls, business suits and briefcases walked along these streets doing… something important probably, and Lena never paid much attention in general, let alone to who came in or why. 

 

This place was out of her way, but she loved Neilsen’s coffee and talking with him, and there wasn’t a lot of people left in her life that had known her as long as he had. Whenever she could, she sat in the same seat- the closest one with a single chair and small table right beside the counter- watching him work and being within arms reach of a refill and earshot of the latest gossip. 

 

She didn’t care for anyone else but her own pastries, until one day a particular redhead named Emily waltzed in, took her lunch break in the corner of the cafe, and walked out with Lena’s heart. 

 

Since then she made it a point to come into the cafe around the same time, just to catch a glimpse of her. In retrospect, it could possibly have been a little creepy, but she was absolutely smitten. And yet, after all this time, she couldn’t find a single word to say. 

 

Her first excuse was being completely unsure if she would even be interested, but after weeks of observing, watching guy after guy approach her offering drinks and attempting to strike up a conversation, it became clear as she rejected every single one. 

 

“Perhaps she was taken,” was the next excuse, but as Nielsen asked what she would be doing for Valentine’s Day, Emily laughed and ordered extra pastries for herself to celebrate.

 

Placing the mug down, Lena’s fingers tapped the sides of it nervously as she continued to watch. 

 

Emily kept to herself, quietly enjoying her coffee, making a point to keep her work bag at her feet, just barely in arms reach. She came here to relax and appeared to be forcing herself into doing so; on several occasions Lena witnessed an internal struggle, hesitantly reaching out for her bag but quickly put it back, then grabbed it again to write something down. It was absolutely adorable.  

 

“Christ, you’re gay.” The cafe owner called out, leaning over the counter with his hand outstretched.

 

Lena sighed, placing the cold coffee in his hand before shooting him a soft pout.

 

“Thanks Nielsen, I’ll alert the media…”  she mumbled, dropping her face in her hands, letting out a pathetic whine. 

 

“Aw c’mon, you’re Lena Oxton!” He offered a laugh, reaching out and prodding her on the shoulder. 

 

“Juvenile-delinquent-well-on-her-way-to-jail, turned Royal Air Force prodigy!” 

 

Lena’s head shrunk between her shoulders, “Nielsen...I swear on me mum’s grave...”

 

“Youngest to be named Squad Leader and well on her way to representing God, Queen, and Country in a war no one will see the end to… and you still can’t ask that lass out?”

 

She shook her head, finally looking up with an honest to God look of fear in her eyes, “...I can’t do it mate.” 

 

“Ooohhh no you don’t.”

 

Ripping the towel from his shoulder to slap it on the counter, he put aside her cup and pointed straight out, ”You see that woman over there?” 

 

Lena slowly turned around and followed the accusing finger, she hadn’t notice it before but someone else had been watching her. 

 

A different woman with dark red hair and a deadly smug grin, turned her seat around to sit facing Lena with a cup of tea and saucer in hand she raised it slightly to the two before taking a small sip. 

 

“I bet that Aussie fifteen pounds that you’d ask that girl out this week. It’s Friday. Do you see the math here?”

 

“Hey, don’t drag me into your gambling problem!” 

 

“Don’t you play dumb, look at you! All in your Sunday best for no reason?” 

 

She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Unfortunately, He wasn’t wrong; she was hoping donning her combat boots and brand new bomber jacket would give her a boost of confidence, but that had quickly dissipated as Emily walked in and smiled. God, those dimples were adorable.  

 

“Look, I’ve been saving this for awhile now. My secret weapon to surviving the day.” 

 

He quickly disappeared underneath the counter, leaving Lena to listen to glasses clinking and liquid being poured out. She bit her lip, glancing at the clock- Emily didn’t stay long, and she would nearly finished with her coffee by now. 

 

She was running out of time. 

 

“Here! You’ll feel better!” he declared, offering her a new mug with light strings of heat slipping from the top. 

 

She grabbed it with a sigh and took a quick sip; the bitter taste nearly had her spitting it out in surprise until she realized it was whiskey. 

 

“...Are you serious.” 

 

But he just shrugged, turning around with his back to his customers to take a quick swig from his flask before putting it back into his apron. 

 

Lena sat there for a moment completely still, staring at the drink in her grasp, then back at Emily. From the corner of her eye she spotted several others, glancing at their watches and beginning to pack up. Lunch was over, and soon the herd of business people would return to their towers until the sun came down. 

 

Knocking the mug back in one long drink, Lena slammed the mug back down on the counter and walked off. 

 

Nielsen turned around at the sound and froze on the spot as Lena finally approached. 

 

Somewhere in the back of the room, the australian woman straightened up in her seat and watched the show.  

 

And what a show it was. 

 

Alcohol temporarily obstructing her nerves, Lena marched right out there standing before Emily’s table and earning her attention. 

 

For the first time since she laid eyes on her, Emily looked back. 

 

And God help her, the woman had freckles, beautifully peppered dots across her cheeks in an adorable pattern that made Lena’s mouth numb, heart jumping straight out of her chest and into traffic while her brained promptly turned off, completely unprepared for this. 

 

Nielsen remained frozen, feeling his wallet about to become just slightly lighter within moments, until finally Lena opened her mouth to the first thing she could possibly think of. 

 

“H-hey um, do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?”

 

A soft groan was heard from behind the counter in pure agony. 

 

But just as Lena contemplated hurling herself out of the window...she smiled. 

 

Emily held a hand to her lips to try and stop herself, but she couldn’t hold it in and began to giggle, and then began to laugh. 

 

“Sorry, but you owe me a drink.” She paused for dramatic effect, “When I saw you I dropped mine.” 

 

Lena’s eyes widened, her heart leaping from the street and back to thundering against her ribcage. She had her attention, but now she had to keep it; luckily, a new bag sat on the table she had not noticed before. It was open just enough to recognize the device inside. 

 

Excited, she pointed to it, “Are you a camera? Because I smile every time I see you.” 

 

Emily laughed again, shaking her head at the ridiculous conversation, but had no intention of stopping it anytime soon she gestured Lena to sit across from her. 

 

“I’m a photographer… And I can picture you and I together.” 

 

Lena’s cheeks were burning from smiling so much, “Mind if I use that picture to prove to my friends that angels exist?” she winked, taking a seat as requested. 

 

Emily grinned, tilting her head curiously; she seemed to be scanning Lena with her eyes for a moment. 

 

“Are...you a pilot...?” Judging the way Lena’s eyes sparkled at this, her guess was correct, “I get nervous when I fly, mind if I hold your hand?”

 

“Are you a runway? Because you make my heart take off.” 

 

For a moment they locked eyes, smiles and laughter bubbling from their lips, Emily shook her head once again, ”Oh...my God… That was… The best thing to happen to me all day.” 

 

“My name is Lena, glad to uh, make your acquaintance.” She smiled sheepishly, now vulnerable without the cover of ironic and terrible pickup lines, she held out her hand. 

 

“Emily,” she replied, reaching out for a firm and friendly handshake, but something else had caught her attention. 

 

One by one customers began to leave, returning to work as lunchtime was over. ”Oh damn... That was fast…” She muttered, glancing down at her own watch. 

 

She was out of time.

 

Lena’s heart sank straight into her gut but kept her composure together, ”Ah well uh, it was...nice meeting you?” She laughed, shrugging it off. 

 

“Yeah! It was…” Emily stood up, bags in hand and ready to take off, but paused a moment, biting her lip in thought with a familiar look of hesitance in her eyes. She dug around in her bag, until finally she looked back at Lena and smiled. 

 

“I seem to have lost my phone number. Can I have yours?”

 

* * *

 

Emily grabbed her things, placed a small tip in the jar on the counter, and said her goodbyes to the owner as she went. She turned the corner of the cafe with a smile on her face and a warm feeling in her stomach. 

 

But as she turned to continue on her way, she could still see into the window of the cafe she was just in. Though she was unable to hear much, she could guess the way Lena was literally jumping in the air in victory, clutching the slip of paper with her phone number scribbled on it like it were gold. She then proceeded to hurl herself across the counter and hug Nielsen so hard that he was turning red. 

 

However she was able to hear him shouting after a woman swiftly walked out while he was being strangled.

 

“DOOLAND YOU GET YOUR ASS BACK ‘ERE YOU OWE ME FIFTEEN POUNDS“ 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side characters "Dooland" and "Neilsen" are patreons! The rest of this story will also include others who have supported me c:
> 
> Thank you!!!!


	2. Specks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things happen for a reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for your support! Due to some...changes in the roster, this is going to get bumpy sooner than expected.

Two days had passed. 

 

Emily sat there, quietly staring at the phone in her lap. No messages or calls- but she continued to watch it, as if the moment she looks away it would magically do a trick. But nothing. 

 

“It’s a conspiracy I’m telling you, against us! They just wanted to get us out of the building I just know it and… And… Hey Em are you listening?” 

 

It took a swift smack to the arm, but the driver finally earned the attention of her passenger. 

 

“Oh… Sorry Hal, I uh…” 

 

“Still nothing huh? Told ya, too good to be true.” She shrugged, offering a quick pat on the shoulder in pity. 

 

“It was stupid to get my hopes up… Ugh, ok, you’re right, distract me. What are you ranting about now?” 

 

“Well I… Wait… What do you mean rant! This is serious!” 

 

She wasn’t completely wrong- the two of them were low on the food chain and were often sent off on random, if not pointless, news to report. Much like today; The dynamic duo of Emily the photographer and Hal the up-and-coming journalist were sent out of the tower and towards the outskirts of the city. There awaited a small Royal Air Force base meant for cadets near Billericay. Supposedly a prodigy of flight was there and for some reason worth reporting. 

 

Hal had her theories that their boss just wanted to get the upperhand on a rival publication, yet they always ended up one step behind. The very moment he caught wind of a few reporters heading any way he sent the girls off after them immediately.  

 

It took them nearly two hours, but finally they ended up on a long stretch of road leading to what appeared to be nowhere. Nothing but green, quilted, patched hills in every direction as the skyline of the city slowly disappeared behind them. 

 

“Feels like a road trip… God… A holiday sounds amazing doesn’t it?” 

 

Emily laughed, pulling on a lever underneath her seat until the back of her chair was flat, allowing her to lie down and pull her feet up on the dashboard- a common practice when Hal was at the wheel and she was along for the ride. 

 

She laughed, crossing her legs, casually tapping her foot along with the song on the radio that was on the verge of becoming engulfed in static the more they approached the base. A holiday did sound amazing, but with the way they literally clawed their way out of internships they had a long way to go until then. 

 

Emily let out a long yawn, folding her arm behind her head, watching the clouds shift in and out of one uniform being as they went about their way. Grey like usual.

 

“I don’t think we will be getting any paid time off any time so…. Soon….” 

 

Her words trailed away as something caught her eye, she blinked once then twice before it became clear that the object in the sky was not only moving, but doing so very fast. 

 

It took a moment before the static of the radio devoured any semblance of music, but in doing so it became clear that the undertone bass was in fact from outside. 

 

Emily tilted her head as the object dipped downwards and weaved through the clouds, watching it whip by until it was out of view.  

 

“Well if I were a betting woman I’d say that show-off is our guy.” Hal rolled her eyes, carefully pressing her cheek against the window to catch a glimpse of a fighter jet twirling above the clouds before pulling up once again. 

 

Emily however grinned, pulling herself and the back of her seat with her into an upright position while she shifted through her camera bag.  

 

“Oh good, I needed some air anyway.” 

 

Before Hal could ask, the passenger side window was rolled completely down. 

 

“Speaking of show-offs…” Hal muttered, but with a small smile as Emily removed her seat belt and proceeded to climb out of the window. 

 

With her camera up, seated out of the open window, and wind whipping her hair wildly, she pointed and did her work; snapping photos with increased shutter speed to capture the fighter jet in flight, twisting and twirling around like it owned the sky.

 

It was as close as she was going to get to being in the thick of it, capturing a moment for others to experience. One day she would report on something big and important where her photos would define a moment in time- but until then, sometimes a girl has to make her own excitement. 

 

A particular photo of the jet’s silhouette, one where it was leaving behind a long streak of white behind it like it were cutting through the grey atmosphere, made her smile. It probably wasn’t good enough for her boss- he wasn’t into artistic moments much- but definitely she would be keeping for herself. 

 

Emily eventually climbed back in as they reached the main gate. She was able to capture clear shots of the jet landing within the compound before retreating back inside. Too engrossed with flipping through her photos, she failed to notice the amount of cursing from her partner.

 

“Uh… What I miss?”

 

Hal grumbled under her breath as she followed the instructions given to her; it didn’t take long for her to put the pieces together as several other news vans and publications were already parked. A small section not too far from the parking area was assigned to such occasions, and a crowd of men and women with notepads and voice recording devices stood before a soldier while all looked on as the pilot in question was making their way out of the jet and towards the crowd. 

 

“We have to milk this for everything it’s worth just to keep our head above water, and they send us in late… Fan-fucking-tastic.” 

 

Emily groaned, suddenly feeling very unmotivated to get out of the car. 

 

By the time they reached the crowd of reporters, they were very clearly on the last leg of their Q and A. Hal sighed and proceeded to pull out her small notepad, immediately writing down everything she could possibly get as Emily got to work and brought her camera up to her face. 

 

But much like before, she blinked- once, then again. 

 

Before the crowd was a tall woman, completely poised, answering each question with vague answers eloquent enough to satisfy even the most nosey of journalists with a practiced grace. 

 

But the pilot, the very reason for them all to be there, remained silent.

 

… And very familiar. 

 

“Well this is going to be like squeezing water from a rock… But I already thought of a great headline too. ‘Local woman’s hair defies gravity, more on page 45.” 

 

“...Hal… What was this pilot’s name again?” She mumbled under her breath, keeping her camera up to obstruct her face and eyes through the lens. 

 

But there was no doubt. The pilot she was assigned to take photos of was the very same woman she had been waiting to call her. 

 

Though it was clearly laid out as to why she hadn’t called. 

 

Lena Oxton, prodigy pilot was paving the way to changing the way the RAF would fight the good fight against the omnics. Though the Lieutenant was being very cryptic, it was clear they had big plans for Lena, though she didn’t seem too thrilled about them. 

 

Zooming in, Emily watched as Lena shuffled awkwardly, clearly not used to having so many eyes on her at once, asking intimate questions about her life and work. The majority of the answers came from her superior, though the few they had gotten out of her were one or two word replies. 

 

A gentle nudge from her side nearly startled her; too caught up with the view from the lens, she hadn’t noticed the interview was over and the crowd had begun to disperse. 

 

“... Uh… Hey Em… Are you ok?”

 

She quickly turned around, was she being silly? Avoiding eye contact like this? 

 

“It’s her,” she whispered in a harsh breath, glancing over her shoulder to find Lena still where she was. She stood at attention while receiving orders from her Lieutenant, though as the woman reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, Lena visibly relaxed. 

 

Emily’s attention was whipped back around as Hal grabbed her by the arms and pulled her in close with excitement in her eyes, “Oh my God we are saved! You have to get an interview, you already have an in! Go talk to her before we lose her! Go go go!” 

 

Spinning her around, Hal gave her a good push forward and Emily was out of the crowd, completely out in the open, and standing a few yards away from the two still in conversation. With a huff she walked on; this was for work after all, and though her job wasn’t on the line, it could definitely make them look good. 

 

“Uh… Excuse me… Lena?”

 

But the moment she turned around, her entire demeanor shift from anxious to completely and utter excitement…

 

“Oh...my god! Emily, it’s so good to see you!” 

 

It was real, and it was sincere, and it made her smile. 

 

The tall woman rolled her eyes and cleared her throat- Lena visibly flinched, ”....Oxton…” 

 

“Sorry Lieutenant Dori, could I have a few minutes?” 

 

Emily stood there, bearing witness to a grown woman clasping her hands together and flashing puppy eyes at a superior officer. 

 

And it worked. 

 

“Five minutes.” 

 

With the green light, Lena ran, despite not being far away enough to do so. She stopped suddenly in front of her, as if she didn’t want to waste another second. 

 

“God I’ve been meaning to call you for so long I’m sorry I swear I-” 

 

Emily was quick to put her hands up to stop her from panicking, “Hey it’s ok. Honestly, I mean… I knew you were a pilot but… Not  _ THE _ pilot” 

 

Lena blushed furiously, looking anywhere but Emily to hide her smile,“N-no I mean… Well yeah… Kind of…” she paused for a moment,“Takin’ shots of me for work then, I’m assuming?” she asked, pointing down at her chest. Emily followed her gesture to look down at herself, finding a lanyard around her neck with the word “PRESS” in large, black, bold letters, adjacent to the camera that was still in her grasp. 

 

“What were the chances?” She laughed, but the device in her hand returned her to the task at hand. ”You think maybe you’d be interested in an interview? Not now and… Somewhere else?” 

 

Lena’s eyes lit up, “Yes! Gods yes please, I need to get out of here.” 

 

“OXTON.” 

 

Even from far away the booming voice of her lieutenant once again made her stiffen out of habit. 

 

“Uh, you know that pub down the way from Nielsen's?”

 

“Erin’s place?” 

 

She nodded, turning on her heel but not before calling out, “I’ll be there tonight!” 

 

 

* * *

 

  
  


_ Eighteen-year-old Lena Oxton reached up and gently patted the square of cotton taped to her cheek, hissing lightly at the contact, but was pleased to know it no longer stung quite as bad as before.  _

 

_ But for a moment she thought herself to be thankful, it could have been considerably worse.  _

 

_ Not that she cared, everyone was entitled to their own opinions. Apparently some think their opinion is very right and were willing to beat a teenager for it to prove a point.  _

 

_ The door behind her slowly opened, followed by a long sigh.  _

 

_ “Oxton.” _

 

_ She didn’t need to turn around.  _

 

_ “Luis.” _ __   
_   
_ __ The door squeaked shut behind him as he approached, placing that familiar manilla folder with her name on it in front of her. 

 

_ “It’s Captain Luis now.” _

 

_ Tugging the hood over her head, she jammed her hands in her pockets and looked away as he took a seat in front of her.  _

 

_ He remained silent for a bit, looking her over with sad eyes, “You alright lass? You got quite a beating there.”  _

 

_ That was putting it mildly. Political street art wasn’t taken kindly these days, though she did her best to avoid conflict when she could. This may have been the third time she was caught by the police, but she had been chased multiple times- sprinting like an olympian and hurdling over fences, no cop could catch up to her.  _

 

_ Today being the exception, as she couldn’t run away with a broken rib.  _

 

_ “Did you catch them?” She mumbled under her breath. _

 

_ “The thugs that nailed you?”  _

 

_ “The thugs that nailed the omnic.”  _

 

_ “No.”  _

 

_ Lena’s head whipped back at the man with wide eyes, “Christ Cap what the hell!? Why am I in here!?” She snapped, standing up so suddenly the chair beneath her fell backwards as she slammed her fist on the table. ”Go do your fucking job and get them before they hurt someone else!”  _

 

_ “Sit down, Oxton.”  _

 

_ “No! I’m done sitting! I’m done watching these people treat them like garbage!”  _

 

_ “Well, since we’ve caught you spraying again, you’re correct. You’re done.”  _

 

_ She stared at him for a long hard moment; he didn’t budge, he never did. “...You know this is fucking nuts, right?”  _

 

_ “I’m sorry, but what I find nuts is that you think spraying your messages on private property is going to do any good when all it’s done is upset people and land you right back here.”  _

 

_ His brows furrowed, but slowly unknitted as he sighed. She fought the urge to feel guilty as a look of disappointment washed over his face.  _

 

_ “I know you want to fight, want to make a difference, when this city is going to hell...” He paused, “You saved that omnic, Lena.”  _

 

_ Her scowl softened, feeling relieved that at least the fight was worth something.  _

 

_ “You’re better than this...Your mum-” _

 

_ “Don’t bring her into this and before you ask, no, I don’t want to call Dad either.” _

 

_ “Look, I don’t want to put you behind bars, and I sincerely doubt you want to be there either. So what if I make you a deal… Ever thought about joining the military?”  _

 

_ Lena stared at him completely dumbstruck, a small chuckle left her lips as if it were a joke- but that quickly died as he was unfortunately very serious.  _

 

_ “...You’re absolutely daffy… Spraying on some walls and you want me to-” _

 

_ “God, Queen, and Country are in need of soldiers, and they are taking anyone willing.”  _

 

_ Having trouble picking up her jaw from the ground, Lena’s hands went straight through her hair and began to pace.  _

 

_ “….I know it sounds bad.” _

 

_ She stopped, “You think!?” _

 

_ “Lena, I’ve turned a blind eye on you for awhile now and you knew that. You also know that I can’t anymore, this is your second final warning- you can’t escape that.” _

 

_ She stopped, “But you are literally telling me I’m either going to prison or be cannon fodder.”   _

 

_ “You always want to fight for what’s right Lena, well here you can do it and make a difference.” _

 

_ “Or die.”  _

 

_ “Die trying” He huffed, flipping open her file and turning it around to slide it across the table where a recruitment application sat right above the order to send her to a juvenile facility. _

 

_ “Your call.” _

 

* * *

 

 

“And… Here you are.” 

 

Lena’s head sunk between her shoulders as she blushed, tapping the nearly empty pint glass in front of her sheepishly. 

 

“And… Here I am. I don’t know if Cap’n Luis is still around… I do wanna call him and thank him though… He had no reason to do that. He could have just let me rot in a jail but he didn’t, he gave me another chance and believed in me when no one else would even consider it.” 

 

“Well… I’m sure when he reads this story he’ll see he made a good call.” She paused a moment, putting aside her notepad in exchange for her drink before turning off the small voice recording device that sat in the middle of the table. “This is amazing Lena, thank you so much for this.” 

 

“It’s the least I can do for not following up on that… Uh… First impression? I guess? Still unsure if I should apologize for that mess…” Her words trailed away as she brought the glass to her lips, doing poorly in hiding her embarrassment. 

 

Emily snorted, ”Ok to be fair I followed suit… I mean seriously… ‘I’m afraid of heights, can you hold my hand’? Disgraceful… I can do better than that…” 

 

Her drink was disrupted suddenly to answer quickly, “Oh come on! The phone number one though? That was fantastic!” 

 

“But it didn’t make sense! I ended up giving you my number and not the other way around!” 

 

Lena laughed. She had to put her glass down, bringing her free hand to block the obnoxious grin she had on her face. Even as she sat down and spilled her entire backstory all over the table, Emily listened intently, engrossed in her story and taking in every word. 

 

But granted, that could just be because this was for work. 

 

With a quick swig of liquid courage, she opened her mouth to say a full sentence but once again saw those freckles… And God help her, she had dimples when she smiled. 

 

“Um… So, is this interview done?” The moment the words left her lips she began to panic. ”N-not that I want to leave! I really don’t I… Just uh… Well I’ve been talkin about me this whole time and I’d like to know more about you… But if this is still a uh, professional basis here, I don’t want you to get in trouble or anythin uh… Can you get in trouble for this? Well hold on, what I mean is… You know… You and uh well I guess… I was… Wondering if maybe… You’d… You know… Uh...wow.” 

 

Emily slowly placed her elbow on the table and leaned into it with her chin sitting on her hand, watching Lena struggle to form words with a small smile on her face.

 

“Yes?”

 

Lena laughed but buried her face in her palms,“Oh my God stop it you’re so cute. Do you want to go out? Like, A real date? No recorders or notepads?” 

 

Emily’s cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so much.

 

“Absolutely.” 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“We… Could start now if you want? If you’re free?” 

 

If Emily didn’t know any better, this girl would be wagging a tail if she had it, the way she smiled, “New tab, on me!” 

 

Just as Lena sped off with the two glasses in hand for a refill, Emily’s pocket lit up. 

 

“.... Oh shit.” 

 

Quickly slipping it out of her pants, the front screen was covered in messages, at first with hours between each other, then minutes. Unfortunately, while caught up in the pleasant conversation she had forgotten to reply to Hal, despite agreeing to message each other every hour to make sure everything was going well. 

 

**EMILY IF YOU DON’T REPLY IN THE NEXT TEN SECONDS IM CALLING THE ROYAL GUARD**

 

This time she was quick to respond. 

 

**Hal relax I’m fine.**

 

She paused a moment before adding. 

**  
** **More than fine.**

 

**Soooooooooo………….. You get an interview done or were you too busy staring at her eyes?**

 

She blushed but shook her head. 

 

**I don’t appreciate being called out like this…**

  
She could practically hear her partner laughing in the distance. 

 

**Well?**

 

**The interview is done and I have a fully loaded audio file for you to work with. It’s a great story, I’m sending it to you now.**

 

**You’re a lifesaver Em. Still need a ride back home?**

 

**Well I’m kind of on a date now so… I’ll get to ride home in style.**

 

She quickly snapped a photo of a yellow motorcycle parked in front of the pub with Lena’s callsign “TRACER” written on the side.  

 

**Good then I’m going to bed. But Christ did she roll up in a leather jacket too? How many kinks did that check off, cause you’re done for.**

 

Well, she wasn’t wrong. 

 

**Goodnight Hal.**

 

With precision timing, a full pint was placed in front of her. 

 

“Hey um… I know we said we were done with work and junk but… I think I have one more thing to add to your story.” 

 

Emily paused mid-reach for her drink as Lena stood right next to her, glancing over her shoulder to hide whatever it was she wanted to show her. She wasn’t being very subtle about it, even as she pulled out her phone she cupped a corner of it to block at prying eyes. 

 

But as she stared at an open email, Emily’s jaw dropped. 

 

**ASSESSMENT COMPLETE. WELCOME TO OVERWATCH.**

 

“... No way.” 

 

Emily kept her eyes glued to the small screen as she reached for her own and quickly sent out a text. 

 

**HAL REMIND ME TOMORROW COFFEE’S ON ME.**

 

With a small nod, she slipped her phone away and returned to her seat. “I had to give em a quick call after the press conference this afternoon, make sure it was alright to tell someone. They gave me the green light, and now you’re the only one that knows.” 

 

“Lena that’s...amazing, you’re going to fly for them?” 

 

“And then some, but not for awhile, until then it’s for country. Then soon… The world.” 

 

“That’s…” She stopped herself, ”... A lot… Are you nervous?”

 

She laughed, but it was nearly a scoff. Running her hands through her hair, Lena shook her head and Emily dead in the eyes, suddenly very aware that not only does no one else know, but her feelings on the matter would finally be voiced. 

 

“I’m fucking  _ terrified. _ ”

 

Before she could continue on, Lena waved her hand as if the brush away the heavy atmosphere that began to settle in.  

 

“But hey, no more about that, just thought that would spice things up. I wanna know about you.” 

 

Placing both elbows on the table she placed her chin atop of her bridged hands, even scooting in more to express that Emily had her full undivided attention. 

 

“We spent several hours on your backstory, I guess I have some catching up to do?” 

 

Lena grinned, “I’ve got time.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hal, Dori, Erin and Luis are all patreons and have been keeping gas in my tank this month. Thank you guys!


	3. Constellations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She thought she had more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little long but thank you for your patience. But a huge thank you To Luis, a petty officer in the navy for your insight and 9, for their perspective while a loved one is on active duty.
> 
> Your personal experiences and advice helped me write this chapter and the rest of this adventure. 
> 
> Thank you for sharing your stories with me to make mine accurate to something so many people go through everyday.

“Hm, ok… Favorite sea animal?” 

 

“Alright hold up, the last time you asked me a question like this, you showed up the next day with tickets to the zoo.”

 

Which was their first official date. During her lunch break at the cafe where Lena patiently waited for her, Emily spent a good hour going over her last assignment, which was to take pictures of the new parrot exhibit. But she was on a time crunch and was unable to see the rest of the zoo like she had wanted, missing out on the lemurs. 

 

The very next day Lena picked her up from her apartment, took her to the same zoo, and went straight to the awkward looking marsupials that she just adored. Emily was thrilled; though she spent most of her time behind the lens, snapping away at everything, she was happy, pretending to have no idea that Lena was watching her with a sappy smile on her face. 

 

“Then before that you asked about music, and we went to a club-” 

 

It was actually a jazz club.

 

She laughed as Lena rolled up in a white button up, nice black slacks, and polished shoes, complete with suspenders and a short tie that rested around her shoulders; she had struggled to tie it, but gave up to exchange for being on time. Luckily Emily was on the case, and tied a beautifully crisp knot, despite trying to not laugh as the pilot looked up and away in embarrassment. 

 

Lena thanked her with a kiss on the cheek, which sent Emily’s face flaring.

 

Hopping on the back of the bike, the two went on their way to a club meant to resemble a speakeasy with live music, a bar, and a large dance floor. Emily’s eyes sparkled with excitement and immediately grabbed Lena’s hand before guiding her through the crowd and towards the center. 

 

Lena quickly learned Emily could not only dance, but was an excellent teacher. 

 

They remained there until closing, taking only a few breaks for drinks and chatting but generally spent the evening perfecting the Charleston. Lena was very stubborn, but by the end of it they could dance as if they had done it for years. As the club began to wind down so did the band, playing a few slower songs at end the night. 

 

Much to Emily’s surprise, Lena was hesitant, if not shy, about being close, looking everywhere else but her as her hands rested on her waist. But being a half head taller, Emily leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her cheek to dissolve the tension before placing her forehead against Lena’s. 

 

Mumbling a quiet thank you for a fun evening, her arms draped over her shoulders and the two gently swayed with the music until it was time to leave.

 

They took the long way back to her place, driving on an empty street while Emily held on with her arms around her waist tight and head against her back, enjoying the night breeze and the city lights zip by as they went. She couldn’t stop talking about her evening to the office for days.  

 

“.... So… You’re saying you don’t want to go to the aquarium?” 

 

Back to the present Emily pursed her lips in thought. 

 

“Starfish. Those things are weird.” 

 

Sure enough, Lena pulled out two tickets to the London Aquarium from her pocket and placed them on the table beside her cup of coffee. 

 

Emily shook her head but laughed, “Those military discounts are something, aren’t they?” 

 

She shrugged, “Yeah well you know I just wanted to use ‘em when I had the chance.” 

 

At this, Emily paused, her cup inches from her lips but found herself frozen for a brief moment. 

 

“... You know, there is something about your tone that suddenly makes me nervous.” 

 

Lena laughed, both of her hands wrapped tight around her mug, “... Can’t hide anything from you can I?” 

 

“It’s literally my job to report the news...” And as such, being as observant as she was, Emily stared at the woman in front of her. 

 

Lena tapped the side of her mug slowly, staring at her own hands and biting her lip, desperate to find the words to say something that clearly had her spooked. 

 

“... Hey, what’s wrong?”

 

“I… Probably should have told you sooner but… I don’t know… I didn’t think… I just never thought this would ever happen…” She tried to laugh and shrug it off, but her leg was beginning to bounce nervously.

 

”... I’m going to be deployed soon… Next month.” 

 

Suddenly, the room felt heavy and a wave of realization hit her head on. Of course, Lena was still a soldier, and their world was at war. It was really only a matter of time, and yet she had completely forgotten about this looming shadow as they had danced the night away. 

 

Lena’s shoulder’s sagged, staring at her cup in silence. It took a moment for Emily to regain her voice, although it didn’t come out as strong and she would have liked. 

 

“I guess… I mean we shoulda seen that coming right?” She offered a fake laugh, but it quickly died as the air around them became thick with unease.

 

“Do you know how long?” 

 

She shook her head. 

 

“... You… Can’t tell me… Right?” 

 

Then it happened, the one word no journalist or person of the press wants to hear.

 

“Classified.” 

 

Emily suddenly felt very sick.

 

“Look I… I… You know… I don’t like…” Lena sighed, struggling to configure her words together, “I’ve never had someone to tell this stuff to, never really had… Someone to you know…” She dipped her head low and mumbled, Emily nearly missed it.

 

“No one has… Ever… Waited for me to… Come back.”

 

Before Emily could blink she quickly sat up and laughed, running her hand through her hair.

 

“Ahh… You know… Look I’m sorry we’ve only been out a few times and… It’s probably too early for this heavy stuff… And it’s not like… It’s not to put any pressure on you or anything I just… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, and-”

 

“Hey, hey wait…” she gently stopped her, offering a hand, palm up on the table, quietly requesting it to be filled. Lena stared at it for a long moment before placing her hand into hers. 

 

Brushing her thumb across Lena’s knuckles the two sat in a comfortable silence, her hands were clammy, at first shaking even but she finally relaxed into Emily’s firm but gentle grip. 

 

“You know…” She started, looking up to find her head still low to avoid her eyes, ”Our schedules are pretty crazy… And yeah, official dates, only a few but… According to my data plan…?” 

 

Lena finally glanced upwards as Emily pulled out her phone, brushing her thumb downwards to show the hundreds of texts they sent to each other in the span of the month they had been dating. 

 

Emily even stopped at a particular day the two spent sending each other emojis and only symbols to communicate, at this Lena finally cracked a smile. 

 

“Also every single lunch break I’ve had? You’ve been here listening to me babble on about my day and stupid boss and… I don’t know, call me crazy but… I think we’re ready for this maybe?” She really wished her voice were stronger, for the both of them. 

 

“At least I think so.”

 

Lena nodded slightly, hesitantly looking upwards and finally catching her eyes. She looked just as terrified as she was. 

 

“Can we still go to the aquarium?” 

 

* * *

 

Emily got off work early, making quick strides out of the building, and hopped on the back of the bike. The first few times she rode along she had kept a polite distance despite being at first intimidated by the loud thing, holding Lena’s waist with her hands in a tight grip to keep herself steady and nothing more. But after their time dancing and the relaxing ride through the night, Emily loved that said “loud thing” and the excuse for closeness.

They made it to the London Aquarium and, with very little coaxing, Emily managed to wiggle her fingers in between Lena’s, which immediately sent a striking red blush across her features; but she held on just as tight with an obnoxious smile on her face.

Like usual, Emily brought her camera, snapping everything and anything that caught her eye. Which was nearly everything. Lena watched as Emily was on the ground, angling the camera upwards, nearly bending over backwards as a shark seemingly glided over them when they entered the tunnel. Lena then quietly snapped a photo of this on her own phone of this photography yoga happening while guiding traffic of confused tourists away from the art in progress. 

“What I wouldn’t give to see what the fish are looking at right now.“

Lena cupped her hands on each side of her face as she pressed into the glass, hoping to get a more personal view of the beautiful tropical fish. It was truly beautiful; hundreds of multi-colored creatures, gracefully going about their business with massive coral reefs much taller than herself. She wondered why she hadn’t visited this place before, but the click of the camera snapped her back into reality. She turned back around to where Emily had been taking photos of her. 

“Do you always gotta take pictures? You’re not enjoyin’ the moment!” She huffed, pointing at the coral reef, though she realized she had left a spot on the glass with her breathing and spit. Emily laughed as she scrambled to wipe it away with her sleeve. 

“I am I promise! Besides, these are great memories at work here!” She pointed to her camera with a proud look on her face, taking a seat on a nearby bench she patted the area next to her. Lena quickly joined her just in time to see her scroll through the photos of the day. 

As expected, though Lena was very biased, the photos were stunning. 

Her insane posture and twisting with her body just to get the right angle was well worth it. Lena unconsciously scooted in closer, her chin hovering over her shoulder to get a better look as she sang her praises with every photo. 

“Wow… This one is amazing!” She gasped, pointing to one in particular of a huge wide shot of the largest tank in the aquarium. The lighting of the water made the tourists in front appear only as silhouettes, pointing up at the large shark that swam by.  

“I don’t know, I’m rather partial to this one.” She clicked on the next one over- the same tank, but much closer. Emily managed to sneak in a quick snap of a profile of Lena as she stood there and looked up in complete awe of the tank and the inhabitants within. 

The next shot was Lena realizing she was being watched. 

The following was her sticking her tongue out at the photographer. 

“Aw jeez…” Lena blushed, dropping her chin on her shoulder. 

Emily laughed, reaching up and patting her on the head, “Just adorable.”

“Well, I can guarantee I’m much cuter in real time.” She huffed, attempting to shoot a soft glare at her; but as Emily giggled, she felt her chest constrict. 

“I think I can agree with that.”

Time was precious; caught between wanting to enjoy every moment and fearing she was going too slow brought her nothing but anxiety every moment she planned a date. But without fail, every moment she spent with Emily she felt a calmness in her heart, despite it thumping every time she laughed or smiled. 

Lena stared at her for several solid seconds before leaned up just enough to place a quick peck on her lips. 

Emily blinked back in surprise but erupted into a massive smile, ”Oh damn… You beat me to it!” 

Shifting in her seat, she carefully put her camera down and cradled her face with both hands, tugging her in for another. It was a messy, unchoreographed disaster- they missed several times, but they still smiled and laughed in between it all. 

It took an awkward staff member to break it up, informing them the aquarium was closing, but the two laughed it off and left hand in hand.

Much like before, Lena took the more scenic route back to her apartment, not so secretly wanting the date to never end. But to be honest, neither did Emily. 

“Hey uh… My roommates aren’t home…” She cleared her throat not so subtly as they stopped in front of her apartment. ”...if you want you can park over there and…” She didn’t even get the chance to mention the promise of ice cream before Lena spun the bike around and headed for the parking garage. 

Her apartment was small, enough for two people, although with three Lena could only imagine it was cramped. She was fortunate that her roommates were always out partying or working; they were rarely home, which gave Emily plenty of privacy. It was something Lena wasn’t too familiar with; not while she lived on base with other members of her squad.

True to her intentions, there was in fact ice cream to be had, with several choices. Lena picked one scoop of each, kicked off her shoes while blankets and pillows fetched, and occupied a spot on the couch hip to hip with Emily and a random TV movie. She couldn’t possibly be happier. 

The movie was god awful, but the commentary and general sassing in between spoonfuls of ice cream was definitely winning for best date so far.  

“Hey Em?”

“Hm?” 

“It alright if I kiss you again?” 

Emily paused for a moment,“Wait hold on…” she mumbled before quickly shoveling the last scoop of her chocolate dessert into her mouth. Lena quietly waited, watching the incredible stunt before her with a silly smile on her face. 

The result of course was a terrible brain freeze. Emily carefully placed the bowl down, held a finger up to put Lena on hold while she held her head, waiting for the pain to pass. 

Several seconds later she nodded, “Yep ok good to go-” 

Lena squeaked in surprised and laughed as Emily dove forward, wrapping her arms around her neck and pushing her back against the arm of the couch, peppering her cheek with tiny kisses. 

The movie was long forgotten, moving on to another that was equally as terrible, but they were occupied, learning and memorizing. How Lena was ticklish when Emily grabbed at her sides, how Emily liked to bite and how Lena was very ok with it. Spending forever on the couch making out with the girl she had a crush on was exactly how Lena wanted to spend her last few weeks home. 

 

At some point the TV was turned off, Emily stretched out on the couch with a long yawn before pulling the smaller form closer. Her fingers lazily brushing the back of her skull, earning a short grunt in response and burying her face further into her neck. 

 

“...Lena?” 

 

“Hm?” 

 

“Promise me you’ll come back.” 

 

At this, she reached up, holding onto the arm of the couch to pull herself upwards and look down at Emily, who looked at her dead in the eyes.    
  


“I like you a lot… I’d like to have another ice cream night with you.” 

 

Lena smiled, feeling a sudden swelling in her chest and a reason to fight harder, she leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. 

 

“I promise.” 

 

* * *

 

Four weeks passed by much faster than either of them would have liked. 

 

Lena made it a point to hold her hand as much as possible as she took Emily anywhere and everywhere. The movies, the park, shopping, or just driving, which was Emily’s personal favorite. Driving late at night when there were no other cars, just the two of them on the road with the cool breeze. 

 

Most of their dates ended back at her place- desserts, something on tv, usually forgotten in place of snogging. But nothing more, for now; Emily might have promised something special as blackmail for her safe return. 

 

“Something on your mind?” She mumbled in between a yawn, noticing Lena had gone quiet since settling into her side, her face resting against her collarbone. 

 

“...Promise not to laugh?”

 

“I will make no such promises, but I can try.” 

 

“... You have four constellations on you.” 

 

Emily blinked twice before straining to look down,”I’m sorry? Like….stars?” 

 

Lena grinned, pushing herself up just enough to lift her hand out from under the blankets their legs were entwined in and carefully pulled her blouse lower just slightly to reveal more freckles along her skin. 

 

“See look, right here? These four are Aries.” 

 

She placed her fingertip on one, then slowly dragged it along to another freckle, then another, connecting them in an invisible line. 

 

“And this one… I think is Cancer?” she paused for a second,”... The constellation Cancer not...Like… Something you should get checked out.”

 

Emily burst into laughter as Lena placed her finger close to her shoulder, connecting another set of dots in an upside down Y pattern. 

 

Settling into the couch, she put her hand behind her head and remained still, watching her name several ancient stars as she traced them along her skin with a smile on her face. 

 

“Big Dipper… This one could be Cassiopia… And then…” 

 

She kept going, or at least Emily assumed she did, at some point the gentle caress of soft voice lulled her to sleep despite fighting it. She wanted their last night together to be just a few moments longer, but it was not to be. Lena placed a kiss on every star and constellation she could before forming against her side and joining her in a peaceful rest, holding on tight and memorizing every curve and breath. Lena had gone off to fight before, but now more than ever, it was going to be the longest deployment of her life.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Before she knew it, she was in her gear, moments from leading a small team across the sea and to aid their allies in Germany. For awhile she continued on like normal, falling into the routine, meeting with other squadron leaders, her Commander, checking her equipment and the like. Since the news article was released about her life story she wouldn’t hear the end of it. Light teasing here and there; a few even asked to see her graffiti art, which she did tag the side of an old target for the others to shoot at later. But she couldn’t help but feel that anxiety returning. With Overwatch watching her, she felt as though the world was. 

 

This was her time to prove she was right for the job, and God she was scared.

  
“Oy, Oxton!” 

 

Lena stiffened up and turned just in time to receive a solid smack on the shoulder, ”Try to save some for the rest of us, huh prodigy?” 

 

Lena rolled her eyes, playfully pushing the woman back, “No promises.”

 

She laughed and walked off, leaving Lena to finish up with her locker. But just moments before closing it shut, she stopped, her eyes catching the inside of the locker door where she taped several photos generously donated from Emily- some of random shots she took that Lena loved and a few of them together. 

 

One in particular caught her eye, of Lena draped over her shoulder placing a kiss on her cheek as Emily struggled to take a selfie. She was blushing, smiling so wide her dimples were in full effect and adorable.  

 

“... Hey Brooke?” Lena called out, swiping the photo from her locker before closing it shut, ”How do you put a photo on your console without it flying all over?”  

 

* * *

 

 

“… Emily you uh… You ok?”

 

It took her a solid moment to tear her eyes away from the computer screen and glance upwards at her cubicle mate. He folded his arms over the thin wall separating them and stared down at her with worry in his eyes. For a second she wanted to say things were fine as usual, but the moment she opened her mouth he hummed slightly, and hardened his eyes. 

 

“Don’t say you’re ok when we all know you’re not.” 

 

She let out a long sigh, slumping back into her chair grasping her temple to rub away the oncoming headache. “Sorry Aaron I just… I thought… Maybe if I read some of these stories I would feel better…” She groaned, reaching out to tap on the screen which open an article about a mother and her husband on the front lines. She tapped another tab to an interview with a family waiting for their daughter to return from sea. So on and so forth, article after article on people who were waiting for loved ones to return from active duty. 

 

“…But God, it’s only making me more anxious…” 

 

Most of the articles they kept in the archive were hopeful pieces, many with happy endings and photos of the reunited family. Yet of course it only took the few that didn’t to send her mood straight down and fear skyrocketing. 

 

“And I bet being here isn’t helping?” Aaron asked quietly, gesturing over his shoulder. 

 

She didn’t need to look to know what he was referring to and only nodded solemnly. Emily and Aaron had front row seating to the main wall of their office, where dozens of screens were showing news from all over the world at the same time. And with the world at war, that’s all it was all day every single day. The damages, the death toll, no end in sight; Korea was in shambles; Australia was a wasteland now. All day they had to hear it and after awhile she’d thought herself to be desensitized by it. 

 

She didn’t mean to, but after so long listening to the madness happening overseas she couldn’t help but be unaffected. Until it became apart of her life in a way she had not planned. 

 

“God what did I get myself into. Only been a couple of days and I’m freaking out everytime I see fighter jets on any of those screens.”

 

“And you’re left in the dark?” 

 

“No idea where or when. Maybe it’s for the better; knowing me I’d try to look for any info on wherever she is…” She stopped herself with a groan of frustration. Out of habit her eyes trailed off towards the wall of screens. A daring news crew only able to capture distant footage of a battle in Germany. Upon spotting even the slightest air combat she turned away and returned to her work. 

 

“I’m sorry you had to listen to me babble like that.”

 

“No no, don’t apologize- I asked because I’m worried, I haven’t seen you like this before…” He tapped his fingers against the wall he leaned on and offered a small smile, ”But hey, you shouldn’t worry right? Isn’t she some magical prodigy with an insane record? This isn’t her first time out there.”

 

Emily fell silent, her eyes resting on the screen but not reading or really looking. After her interview, Hal did her own research and asked Lena questions to fill in the gaps. The article was a huge hit, and the two definitely earned points in the eyes of management for it. But they learned fairly quickly that Lena was more than just a young talented pilot. There was a reason Overwatch wanted her. 

 

“... You… Know what? Yeah… Yeah, you’re right.” she smiled, reaching up and swiping away her screen clean, ”Thanks Aaron.” 

 

He smiled big, ”You got it… Now I have to ask… How was your last date?” 

 

Her demeanor immediately changed, “Oh my god so cute, have I not shown you pictures?!” Emily quickly fished her pocket for her phone as her coworker hopped down from his perch to join her in the cubicle.   
  


“Show and tell time! But don’t get mad when I show you more cat pics.” 

 

“Deal.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

She was gone for three months. 

 

Emily requested a change of cubicle, but her response was that she should be thankful, her spot was given to her because of her great interview and work. Why should she think she could just ask for any new place? 

 

So every day, Emily plugged her ears with music and shifted her computer around to avoid looking at the wall of screens filled with news reporters covering a terrible battle in another country. It was said to be the largest air raid to date, and there was no doubt Lena was there. 

 

Every time she even glanced back there was nothing but black smoke and a red sky as Omnics marched on, not at all deterred as they dropped one by one. Some say the war was nearing it’s end, but it was hard to believe when still so much death and destruction was happening. 

 

She took on any and all jobs if it meant being out of the office. She started photographing community events, fundraisers for schools, even pet adoptions. Anything to get away from the reality of the war. She didn’t want to stay blind to it all, or pretend it wasn’t happening, but there was only so much she could take. 

 

She spent her lunch breaks at Lena’s old spot next to Nielsen, laughing as she realized there was no way Emily could have seen someone was even here, let alone watching her from this small table in the corner.

 

He of course told her embarrassing stories about Lena and how nervous she was trying to build up the courage to talk to her. 

 

“I’m tellin you, whiskey is magic!” He grinned, turning back around and taking a quick swig before continuing to work. 

 

Lena was fortunate to have her phone working while she was wherever. 

 

“So… What time is it over there?”

 

Emily squinted, trying to search the small screen for any signs of light or a clock. Lena rolled her eyes, quickly swallowing a chunk of a protein bar. 

 

“Em are you trying to pinpoint where I am in the world?” 

 

“Not knowing is freaking me out Lena! It’s my job to know things! Cut me a break.” She huffed, pouting slightly as she clutched the pillow in her lap tighter. 

 

It was well after midnight; somewhere, Lena was having lunch, and spending it with her via her phone. The timezone difference was drastic, but Emily refused to let it get in the way of keeping contact. They agreed to a set time and day, and so far they were consistent. 

 

The reality of it all didn’t really fully kick in until Emily saw Lena’s tired but happy face and wearing her uniform. 

 

Of course Lena couldn’t disclose much when asked about her day, but she happily sat back and listened to Emily just like they used to.

 

“Sorry to hear about all that, glad Aaron is helpin’ at least.” 

 

“Yeah, he’s pretty great at drowning out the stupid,” She laughed, but it slowly turned into a long yawn. 

 

“Oh jeez, love you should sleep!

 

“Ohhh no way, I miss your dumb face.” 

 

Lena smiled stupidly, a small blush crossing her cheeks.

 

“I miss you too.” 

 

She bit her lips, glancing around nervously for a moment before pulling the phone much closer. 

 

“I… Might see you for your birthday.”

 

Emily nearly dropped the device as her jaw did, ”Really!? Lena that’s really soon!”

 

“If this next thing I do goes well then yeah!”

 

Her face then fell, “If…. This next thing… Goes well…”

 

Lena’s face paled, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

 

“Ohhh jeez Em, just uh…. Don’t look into that too much.”

 

“No… I mean… You’re good at what you do… Right? Master Pilot?” She offered a small smile, though she clutched the pillow tighter.

 

Lena nodded slowly, but not very convincingly as she shrugged.

 

“Yeah…”

 

“...Are you going to be ok?” 

 

“I just…”

 

She huffed, once again, looking around nervously for prying eyes and ears before leaning back against the wall and sighed. 

 

“This mission is… Really important and I feel like… I don’t know, I feel like everyone is… Watching me, like I know what I’m doing.”

 

“Lena, they have a reason to. Because you are the actual best; this isn’t me being biased. You literally can fly circles around these guys and Overwatch should be begging you to join by the end of this.” 

 

Emily leaned back against the headboard, watching as a small smile, a real one, finally crept along her features.

 

“Thanks Em… Are… You going to be ok?”

 

“I’m… Trying… I found a few people to talk to online, I think it would be better if I wasn’t at work and listening to all the over-dramatic nonsense.” She sighed but trailed off into a sad laugh, “I won’t lie, I’m pretty freaked out.” 

 

“You and me both.” 

 

“Send nudes! She’ll feel better!”   
  


The tension suddenly shattered like glass as a voice from behind Lena’s phone called out the suggestion. 

 

“What.”

 

“Brooke what the hell?!”

 

Emily shrugged and set aside the pillow, “Well shit, hang on a sec-” 

 

Lena’s face erupted into a shade of red that matched Emily’s hair as she pulled her phone back for a better view and began to lift the hem of her shirt upwards. 

 

“EMILY NO- I mean…! Oh Jesus I hate you both.”

 

She stopped just above her naval, rolling her eyes as she originally had no intention of showing her anything, but the reaction was priceless. Lena covered her face with her hand, but kept her fingers open, not so subtly peeking. 

 

Somewhere Brooke was laughing, but continued on her way while Lena struggled to regain her composure. 

 

Emily however could not stop grinning, pulling the phone back in closer she leaned in and whispered, “....I’ll send them later.” 

 

The blush returned full force, Lena had to bit her lip to try and not look too excited. 

 

“….Thanks babe.”

 

Sexting and sending nudes was most likely the last thing Emily thought she would ever be doing, and yet here she was. Though she might had gone a little overboard, waiting until sunrise for the perfect lighting and taking beautifully angled selfies with one of the plaid shirts Lena had left at her place and nothing else was the perfect opportunity. 

 

Lena’s responses were well worth it, usually a long string of smashing random letters together, sometimes a photo of her playfully tugging at her collar or covering her face with a massive grin. 

 

Emily sighed, flopping face first into bed, immediately clutching her pillows and blankets, arranging them in a long bunch in a way that would feel as though there were another body there so she could drape her leg and arms over them. She flipped through her collection of photos she had saved of Lena’s face. Her adorable, stupid cute face. 

 

There was a small part of her that regretted all of this; they had only been together for so long and suddenly she was gone. It was hard; speaking with others who were also stuck waiting at home while their loved ones were at war helped, but it still left a residual ache in her chest. She continued to flip through her photos, past the nudes and reaction photos until she was back to where they were together. 

 

Hundreds of selfies of them together, always smiling, always laughing. 

 

She smiled, clutching the blankets and pillows tighter.  

 

“God, I can’t wait for you to come back.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Patreons will be inserted into this story! Thank you to Aaron and Brooke and mentioned before Neilsen and Hal!


	4. Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She finally found a home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Nox for editing!

“Hey Emily sorry I think I grabbed the wrong bag!”

“Aaron, you were in a crazy hurry - how the hell did you grab mine by mistake?” she stopped to look down at the misplaced bag by her feet,”...It’s bright green.”

On the other end of the phone he let out a very not so convincing laugh.

“Y-Yeah. Well, my bad, hey I’m at that little coffee place so why don’t you meet me there? Hal is here too”

Emily paused, holding her phone in between her ear and shoulder she stopped mid clean-up to take in his words.

“I thought Hal hated Nielsen’s? Something about cheap bean juice and-”

“W-well you see...hey! Hey wait!” 

Light shuffling was heard, and even some grunting until a new voice yelled into the receiver.

“Bitch, get your ass here and ask questions later!”

It was Hal and she was not a patient woman. Although extremely suspicious, Emily packed up her things and grabbed the bag Aaron had seemingly forgotten, and soon she was out the door.  Her plans for the rest of the day had consisted of her dropping her pants the moment she entered her house, and finishing the rest of the ice cream while watching TV. However, it seemed like her friends had other plans.

 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!”

 

And there she was. 

Standing in the middle of the shop they met in, wearing a pristine uniform and a bright eyed smile, holding a bouquet of flowers _.  _ The bouquet was immediately tossed aside as Emily ran straight into Lena’s arms, sobbing and dropping her own things in exchange for holding her girlfriend in a tight embrace. 

Photos and videos were taken with a small applause but for a moment Emily couldn’t bring herself to notice or even care.

“Sorry I’m late love.”

Emily laughed, tears continuing to stream down her face as she , clung to Lena like it was a dream that was about to end at any moment. But it was  _ real, _ and she was  _ here _ after the three longest months of her life.

 

“Welcome home”

 

* * *

 

Emily demanded early on that Lena stay with her when she returned from duty.

Lena had lived on base since she was young and slept on Neilson’s couch in between, and she had every intention of doing it again until Emily found out. Her roommates didn’t mind as they were mostly out, and Lena offered to buy more groceries in return. However, all things considered, Lena wasn’t staying long. 

“Two weeks?” She didn’t mean to sound so upset but Lena’s hands squeezed hers in silent agreement.

“The mission was a complete success and Overwatch was impressed so…yeah they want me now…I tried really hard for more time off, but this is all I got…” Lena sighed, her thumbs brushing over Emily’s knuckles. 

She felt numb. Just as she finally had her back, someone else was going to take her away. 

“I’m sorry I-”

“Hey hey it’s ok….I’ll…” she swallowed hard but offered a smile,”...I’ll be fine. Let’s just…make it last…ok?” 

There was little strength in her words and Lena could see it in her eyes, but as Emily held her face in a warm grasp, gently tugging her in closer, she couldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the world.

“I’ve never been so happy to be so wrong” Lena said, flat on her back and barely able to catch her breath after their first night together.

Emily, as promised, wore the plaid shirt and cute underwear underneath, and after a couple of subtle remarks from her about Lena’s uniform, Lena did in fact keep her crisp navy blue and medal adorned uniform on for the occasion. Despite feeling rather confident on who would be taking the reins, she made absolutely no complaints when Emily straddled her waist with fire in her eyes and a plan in mind. Emily had been thinking about this for awhile

“So…I have a question birthday girl,” she asked innocently as Emily attempted to leave the bed but was promptly pulled back in by the waist. Emily gave a halfhearted groan and flopped back - Lena was like a small heater, and stepping out into the cold room in search for her clothes that were strewn about didn’t feel like a priority anymore.  

“Lena no, it was three days ago and you being here is literally all I could have asked foooorOoohmyGodLenaaaaaa” her sentence devolved into fits of laughter as Lena squeezed and prodded a ticklish spot on her sides. 

“That’s cute love, but if you think for a hot second I’m gonna just let that slide by you’ve got another thing comin’!” she grinned, stopping her tickling onslaught in exchange of kisses and small mischievous bites on Emily’s bare shoulder, gently nibbling over the freckles. Lena spent every quiet evening counting them as she slept. 

Even so, Emily couldn’t stop giggling, this was it, this was exactly what she wanted after waiting months. No mountain of pillows against her back could replace this warm body pressed against her, she could practically feel Lena’s heart thundering against her skin in excitement and joy. 

What she wouldn’t have given to be like this forever. 

“Remember when we first met and made god awful pickup lines?” Lena started, sitting up just slightly to pull all of Emily’s beautiful hair to the side, exposing her face and neck.  

Emily gasped as Lena went straight down and playfully kissed the side of her throat. 

“How could I ever forget?”

“Well….” she stopped, just to innocently place her chin on her shoulder,”...how serious were you about being afraid of heights?”

 

* * *

 

She had no idea how many people were involved, how many favors Lena had to do to get it done but somehow she had managed to secure a two person plane for a private flight.

 

“Anywhere in the world!” she said, mumbling a few exceptions that were restricted air space for obvious reasons, as she stood before the small plane with her arms outstretched and said anywhere. 

 

Granted she couldn’t really say anything at first, opting to instead run into Lena’s arms furiously kiss anywhere she could while mumbling her thanks in between. She couldn’t just make up her mind now, not after always talking about places she wanted to see for herself.

 

Emily sat in the back, directly behind Lena and watched in awe as she prepared to take off, flipping switches and communicating with the tower with such professionalism she was taken aback by it. She always knew Lena was a pilot through and through, but it really was different watching her work. She was in her element, and so comfortable that Emily couldn’t even bring herself to be nervous at all as the plane took off with surprising speed and was up in the air in seconds.

 

“You alright love?” Lena asked through the headset, realizing Emily had been silent since the moment they took to the air. 

 

“I’m so glad you told me to bring this” she finally replied, whipping out her camera and snapping away. They were just above London and despite having lived there her entire life, finally being above it all and seeing her country in a new way was breathtaking. 

 

“It’s pretty weird, being up here. It’s so different” she paused a moment, forcing herself to look away from the view and towards the front,“Do you...see the world differently? Flying all the time and suddenly being down there?” 

 

“Can’t be helped, it’s honestly hard to believe we’re on the same planet” Lena laughed, turning the plane just slightly to take a long turn but also to dip it to the side, giving Emily a better view of everything below. 

 

“When I first started flying after being threatened with jail, I never wanted to land. I felt so free, and everything seemed so peaceful up here - why would I want to go back down where everyone was fighting with each other?” 

 

“But after my first flight into combat… I saw how massive the damage was in a single moment, entire cities burned to the ground, destroyed homes and lives... but being so far up I couldn’t see the people it affected” 

 

Emily’s stomach twisted as images of what she had seen at work from helicopters came to mind. Nothing but smoke and ash that the camera would struggle to see past - but Lena was not only there, she was also a part of it. All things considered, she had to see it all first and had to act on it.   

 

“What I see is...like, the bigger picture, I can see it all and...I guess...when I see this? This peace? It makes me want to fight harder to keep it that way”

 

There it was. 

 

Hours of pouring over article after article of how loved ones waiting at home for their soldier find that they came back not the same,and somehow this literal ray of sunshine in front of her saw the ugliest part of the humanity and still sought to make it better. 

 

Emily laughed as she reached out and held the pilot by the shoulder.  

 

“Lena Oxton, you are too good for this world, we don’t deserve you” 

 

She could hardly see it, but by the reflection of the glass, Lena was grinning stupidly before turning her head and kissing Emily’s hand.

 

“Alright alright no more of this mushy nonsense, wanna do a flip?”

 

“Oh,  _ please! _ ”

 

* * *

 

The pressure of being a journalist and having to keep a secret was intense. Every week Emily was tested, and the amount of willpower it took to not spill everything was a true testament to her adoration of Overwatch’s newest recruit, and youngest person ever to be inducted into the flight test program. 

 

Lena moved into the Overwatch headquarters, and it’s location was accidentally spilled by said new recruit, who was too excited to filter information. She had been granted every friday off, which was of course spent with Emily, and all of her adventures were spewed out over the course of the day. 

 

“I mean, I always knew they had some interesting characters there but I wasn’t ready for Reinhardt! He’s literally that huge and it’s terrifying but he’s so sweet and nice!” 

 

Her eyes lit up with such joy and excitement that Emily couldn’t help but feel like the hope was infectious. Lena spoke of the technology they had, the organization and how somehow it all felt like one big really weird family with the common goal of peace. 

 

“Commander Morrison is pretty much what I expected. He’s a tough stern guy, really firm but he seems to have a good handle on everything. Always calm and always has everyone’s best interests” 

 

“Oh oh but Reyes! He’s so cool, he’s pretty quiet and keeps to himself but Morrison trusts him. He acts like a cutthroat tough guy but I’m pretty sure he’s secretly a softy...but I wouldn’t dare tell him that, oh God don’t ever tell him I said that” 

 

Emily had to restrain herself from asking more depth questions other than what was socially acceptable, especially when Lena started talking about a secret project they wanted her to fly. 

 

“Oh then there is Captain Amari and...wow she’s incredible. The best sniper in the world! She’s a mum too! I heard her daughter is in the Egyptian army right now and is training to join Overwatch too! How amazing that generations could be apart of this huge thing isn’t it?!” 

 

They brought on the best pilot in the world for this single flight program and of all of the information Lena would accidentally slip out, this was the one thing she said nothing on, other than she flew for hours a day, preparing for something so huge it would literally change the way the world would fly forever. 

 

“Oh God Em I’m so nervous what do I do I mean we’ve been flying this thing for like a month and we were planning on doing more experiments on it but God the war on the other side of the world is getting so bad they had to speed up the process and now I’m flying this thing for real tomorrow and I can’t breathe Em help-” 

 

Emily blinked. She’d had no time to say hello; she had as Lena ran forward and hugged her, and then proceeded to vent out everything directly in her cleavage as soon as she’d opened the door. 

 

“Hey hey hey, easy, come here,” she laughed, carefully holding Lena’s head in her hands to bring her face out of her chest and to look straight up at her,”Come on, to the cuddle couch, I’m watching this omnic talk. He’s really great, I think it might take your mind off it.” 

 

“Oh! That Mondatta fellow?” 

 

And just like that, it worked. Lena shed her jacket and shoes and joined Emily on the couch, snuggling up in her arms with her head on her chest, listening to her heartbeat and a brave omnic speaking out against the violence to hundreds. 

“We need more people like ‘im y’know? World could always use more.”

 

Emily laughed, her fingers slowly dragging across the back of Lena’s neck, tugging on her small hairs playfully. 

 

“What do you mean? You’re right here.”

 

Lena’s ears burned, “Em…” she groaned, once again burying her blushing face into Emily’s cleavage earning a short gasp followed by giggling. She was deflecting again, mumbling her disagreements against her loose fitting sweater. 

 

“Lena come on…” she laughed, tugging on the spikes of her brown hair just enough to bring her head up,”...You already know what I’m going to say.” 

 

She huffed, both hands on each side of her, Lena pushed herself upwards and finally faced her, she looked a little better. Still worried and scared but strangely at peace with it,“Yeah but….I like hearing it from you.” 

 

Emily sat up and grasped her face in warm hands, squishing her cheeks just slightly and looking her straight in the eye. 

 

“Lena Oxton,” she said, with as much conviction and strength she needed to get the point across,“You are the greatest pilot in the world.”

 

Lena looked away, “....ok I wouldn’t say the  _ greatest _ -”

 

“The. Greatest. Pilot. In the world.” Emily smiled, bringing her in for a quick kiss to grab her attention,” They picked you for this job for a reason babe...If anyone can do it, it’s you.” 

 

“...I love you.” 

 

Emily froze in place, staring at the face in her grasp, and for a few long quiet moments she said nothing. Taking a deep breath Lena carefully sat up, sitting back on her legs as she took each of Emily’s hands and kissed her knuckles. 

 

“I mean it, you know that right?” she asked quietly. 

 

“I don’t deserve you, I keep you waiting like this...it’s unfair but you’re always here and always listening to me ramble and complain and-”

 

“Lena…I love you as you are,” she smiled, God her cheeks were burning from smiling so hard,”...and I will wait forever if it means you’re coming home.” 

 

On the television, the crowd listening to Mondatta’s speech erupted into cheers. The tide of war was turning, fires were dying across the world, things were changing and history was being made in their lifetime. Whether or not it was for the better or something worse on the horizon, in that moment they were happy. Lena fell asleep to Emily’s heartbeat, arms wrapped around her middle, refusing to let go as she snored softly. 

 

She couldn’t help it. Emily snapped a couple of selfies of the adorable moment, with her nose buried in the messy brown spikes of Lena’s hair.  

 

Had Emily known it would be the last photo she would take of her, she might have taken a few more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But things were never meant to last.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [YGBSM](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13953267) by [aWasteLandStudent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aWasteLandStudent/pseuds/aWasteLandStudent)




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